Saturday, April 09, 2011

Todd's golden parachute is on his back

Suffice it to say that Todd Bentley knows what colour his parachute is.

An e-mail, quietly released a few days ago, reveals that the evangelist is making plans for every scenario.

It relates to a company called Sound of Fire Productions, which has a small online store to sell Todd Bentley's materials. At the time that it became prominent, it was operated by Dave Bentley--Todd's father--and his second wife. Catch the quickly set up info page when you can, as it lists the ministry as being started in "19__" with Dave and his wife as "overseers".

Dave Bentley has dipped his toes into evangelism too. I once, during the early days of the "Lakeland revival" saw him pinch-hitting for Todd Bentley at a Fresh Fire event. He had prophetic words for people, laid hands on them for healing and such.

After the collapse of Lakeland, Todd faced a quandary. The old Fresh Fire charity in Canada closed down the old Bentley online store. Sound of Fire stepped into the breach, selling his materials from their Ladysmith B.C. base.

Fast forward to last week, and the announcement of the founding of Sound of Fire, USA on April 1.

Says the e-mail:

We are happy to announce that Sound of Fire has come to the USA. In recent months we have moved the company from Canada and are now located in beautiful Charlotte, NC. What does this mean for you? A BRAND NEW DAY! We will now be able to timely help all of our customers with USA and all International orders.

What is Sound of Fire USA?

Sound Of Fire USA is a contemporary Christian Media Resource Center owned by Todd and Jessa Bentley separate from Fresh Fire Ministries. Sound of Fire is the resource arm for all of Todd Bentley products. On our website www.soundoffireusa.com, you can find all of your favorite Todd Bentley Products as well as stay updated on NEW Todd Bentley Schools, Teaching series, Books, and Soaking CD's.

I wonder what happened to Dave and Darcia Bentley. Have they been asked to leave?

Why would Todd and Jessa Bentley need to a private company to sell their materials? Well, it's not unknown amongst Christians. Steve Schultz's The Elijah List store arm is a for-profit company. Oral Roberts began with a private company in the 1950s, Healing Waters Inc.

But there is nothing stopping a ministry from selling Todd's materials. Nothing at all. It is the usual thing.If Todd was anticipating spending many years in faultless ministry, it would be the given thing to do to route sales through a ministry.

But, after Todd lost control of the old Canadian Fresh Fire, ministry board, he was forced to set up the new Canadian company, which is now in the U.S..

I am hoping that Rick Joyner has ensured that the new Fresh Fire USA board is not stuffed with Todd's cronies, and that, as the old Canadian Fresh Fire charity did, they can tell Todd "Either quit or we are firing you" if any misdeeds on his part take place.

Now, with his transplanted company, Todd gains some advantages.

With a private company, your books never have to be opened to the public, unlike a charity or a ministry.

Todd can now go to a private model for his work. No collections or donations ever. You have to buy admission to a space in his meetings (which keeps out the great unwashed and those wanting to publicly rebuke Bentley) and his materials. As there is no oversight, other than Todd, he can crank up his profit margins.

Todd Bentley can never be forced out of Christian work again. A private company is immune to anything that his new ministry board might do.

What's odd about all this is that Todd Bentley, in all the various Rick Joyner restoration videos, is insisting that he is a changed man.

Then why set up a way to defy everyone and continue ministry if Joyner and his friends were to come to feel that Bentley should not continue in ministry for some reason?

Is Todd Bentley planning in case he falls?

If he needs to plan for the worst, then why assume that his ministry work will only be the best? Todd isn't, as demonstrated by this action.

If Todd thinks he may fail and need to go totally on his own, as demonstrated by this privatization of some of his work, don't we need to notice that he has a possible "Plan B"?